Welsh Conservatives Debate: Older People
Janet Finch-Saunders
I thank Darren Millar for bringing this debate here today. Through work, volunteering, childcare, and paying taxes, our older people are a vital part of our Welsh society. Yet, time and again, we hear our age support groups calling for greater recognition of their contribution and fighting to combat a perceived ageism culture here in Wales. I’m sure Members will have also seen the John Lewis advert. They’ve linked in with Age Cymru to actually show the isolation that an older person can actually feel, and linking up with younger people is how I want to see us go forward in Wales.
The economic and social contribution of older people to Wales is worth over £1 billion and, along with the older people’s commissioner for Wales, we too are asking, ‘Why is ageism allowed?’ and ‘Why is discrimination tolerated in what should be a fair society in Wales?’ Our debate today aims to highlight this problem and how we would tackle it, and that would be by supporting and encouraging older people into work, training and effective learning opportunities and by ensuring our public services and our infrastructure work well, thereby enabling those slightly mature in years to retain their own dignity, respect and continue in their valuable contribution to our society.
The Enterprise and Business Committee’s recent report found that workers are more productive the older they are. Yet, Prime Cymru states that 21 per cent of those aged 50 to 64 feel they’ve experienced age discrimination in employment, with some not even managing to get beyond a job application. The older people’s commissioner has highlighted that only 22 per cent of older people have left their jobs willingly, with the remaining 78 per cent feeling nudged or pushed out. This is shocking and such discriminatory practice has no place here in Wales. Having found out that there are four times as many people over 50 who are not in education, employment or training as there are those under 25, the commissioner has stated that older people are undervalued and underappreciated by this Welsh Labour Government. Again, Prime Cymru find that Jobs Growth Wales automatically discriminates against someone purely based on their date of birth. This is nothing short of a scandal and shows a blatant lack of respect, tolerance and equality. To combat this, and our skills shortage here in Wales, our Journeys to Work policy, launched last week, would empower our older people to access appropriate workplace learning. The Deputy Minister for skills, by her own admission, states that cuts to adult education in Wales have been ‘awful decisions’ and it is foreseen that we could pay a high price for such cuts. So, I ask the Minister: why do you implement such cuts? Our priority is and must always be equality for all, irrespective of your age. As well as supporting an older workforce, it is vital that we pull down the barriers facing the many who still have so much to contribute and from whom we could all learn so much.
Reliable, quality transport provision is essential in combating isolation, accessing vital services, social interaction and leisure pursuits. We do it and they’re entitled to do it also. In Aberconwy, cuts imposed on community transport are already negatively impacting on many, particularly those living in our rural communities, making the isolation so much greater. Sixty-six per cent of single pensioners do not have a car and cuts to bus services across Wales, including a 7 per cent cut in funding in Conwy, undermine the benefits of the older people’s bus pass and cut short a lifeline for many. A lack of joined-up services poses major barriers to older people, with 33 per cent finding it difficult to make a GP appointment when required. I see residents in my own constituency who simply cannot access any morning GP appointments because there is no transport available. It’s unacceptable.
Finally, isolation and loneliness must be recognised as key public health issues highlighted, as I have mentioned, in this year’s John Lewis advert. Recent Royal Voluntary Service statistics show that 11,000 elderly people in Wales will see no-one on Christmas Day, and these are the same people who have served our country so well for so many years, securing it for our future. At the very least, we should ensure that they are seen as the future too and not simply as a relic of the past. I call on the Welsh Government to take these issues raised here today very seriously, lift the barriers, look again at your own Government policies and please halve the culture of ageism that we see too often here in Wales.